By Pratima Gupta

The Unchanged Story…

India, a land of Shakti, the goddess who is worshipped as an eternal deity. A land where women are considered as an incarnation of Shakti. A land where women are worshipped during the nine days of Navratri fast. And a land where same women are stopped from taking a flight of their dreams… their wings clipped. It is a land where two extremes live together, not in harmony, just bearing each other.

But at some point someone has to question and demand answers. Someone has to take a stand for the equality of men and women. Someone has to raise their voice. And that’s what Sarah did.

Since last 10 days Sarah had been thinking about that night. Why wasn’t she able to control her feelings? Why did she say something which was wrong on behavioural point but correct otherwise? Why wasn’t she able to continue the same life? Life which revolved around office, home and Saraj.

Sarah, an independent IT professional, was trying real hard to mend her life and find the right track but all her efforts were in-vain. None in her family were speaking to her or even considering her as a member. But then they never did consider her a family member. She was always a odd one out, someone who came from a different family, someone who was taking Saraj away.

Sarah often wondered would she have said “I contribute to the monthly income of this house” if her mother-in-law hadn’t continuously reminded her “Its not your house and you can’t do whatever you wish. You will have to do whatever we like”. She wouldn’t have said “It’s my car as well… I also pay the monthly EMI” if her mother-in-law hadn’t continuously reminded her “It’s not your car, It’s my son’s. My son bought it and hence it’s my car”. She wouldn’t have considered herself better than Saraj if her mother-in-law hadn’t continuously reminded her “You are a woman. You will always be beneath your husband. You have no existence apart from being Saraj’s wife. You should always say Sorry to him even if its not your fault”. She wouldn’t have uttered anything if only they gave her the love and respect she deserved.

These are such small things, but that night Saraj took it to the next level. Frustrated Sarah to an extreme that she said things which she never meant. She loved him but now even she was in dilemma.

In one night, Sarah was branded a bad daughter-in-law and a pathetic wife. Even the one who married her didn’t want to listen to her. She knew that this wound will never heal.

Again a voice was silenced, words shattered, equality demeaned…

Same is the story of every independent married woman. Why this discrimination? Why women like Sarah are judged by what kind of wife or daughter-in-law they are? Why men aren’t judged on same credentials? And plight of the situation is that the people judging them are the women who went through the same phase but in a different time period…